At the beginning of the 2003-2004 academic year, St. Bernard’s moved to our current location at 120 French Road in Rochester. Great care was taken in planning the new building to make it both beautiful and practical, keeping in mind the needs of students for generations to come.
Following St. Bernard’s mission and vision, the chapel is just steps away from our classrooms, allowing for a fostering of devotion and spirituality in congruence with our students’ theological and philosophical formation. In all our programs, we strive to pursue a kneeling theology both through our study and prayer. Our chapel affords this both in its proximate location to our classrooms and through the gift of Christ’s abiding presence in the tabernacle. Join us for our Weekly Holy Hours here.
Bits of our school’s history can be found in the chapel's decorative elements: the south side of the chapel features ornate stained glass windows from a hospital in Sonyea, New York; our statue of Mary is from the former St. Bernard’s Seminary on Lake Avenue and was also housed at DeSales High School in Geneva, NY; and our wooden holy water font was created by local artist, Wendell Castle. A meditation garden is accessible from the north side of the chapel, as is the original bell that once called students to chapel at the Seminary.
Our chapel is currently used for morning prayer and a variety of liturgical events, including the opening of our academic year and Advent Liturgy - all of which are open to the public. Local community members are welcome to use the chapel for private prayer during business hours, and those looking to use the chapel for a scheduled liturgical event are encouraged to contact the Events Assistant.
